


Heart of Hypnosis

by Green_Phantom_Queen



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Gen, Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:43:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Green_Phantom_Queen/pseuds/Green_Phantom_Queen
Summary: An expansion of scenes to GRiDGALAXY's fanfic "Taming the Blue Eyes White Dragon". May or may not become a sequel if I so desire.





	Heart of Hypnosis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GRiDGALAXY](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GRiDGALAXY/gifts).



_ Note: This is essentially my interpretation of a scene from GRiDGALAXY's fic, “Taming the Blue Eyes White Dragon” and it is essential to understand just what is going on in this scene. May or may not evolve into a sequel to said fic, but I at least wanted to get  _ this _ little bunny out of my head. _

Shizuka knew something wasn't right with her brother when she entered his room.

 

It wasn't because the room looked as if a tornado  tossed all of the contents of Katsuya Jounochi's wardrobe all over floor nor was it due to the overfilled garbage bin or the fact that Jounochi was actually doing his homework for once and  _ not _ procrastinating on it by entering that new online network (VRAINS if she remembered correctly) and challenging duelists from around the world all without ever having to get out of bed. It was just this presence that she felt the minute she set foot in this room, like a sixth sense that warns her of a car speeding by just as she is about to cross the road or that feeling that she is being watched by a pair of eyes that she cannot seem to locate.

 

Currently, her brother was reading a book ( _ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead  _ by Tom Stoppard) as part of his preparation for his Shakespeare studies next month. And while Shizuka herself was also an avid reader, since she was essentially cooped up in her house most of the time and needed to do something to keep her from going stir-crazy, but the title of the book wasn't what she wanted to talk about.

 

“Hey, big bro,” she began, noticing how...tranquil her brother looked. “How have you been recently?”

 

Jounochi looked up from the page he was at and smiled. And it was then that Shizuka just  _ knew _ that something was wrong.

 

That smile of his...if Shizuka was to be asked on live television what her favorite physical attribute about her brother was, it would have been his warm, loving, radiant smile that seemed to just lighten up any dark mood she had in regards to the troubles that clouded her mind. Like sunlight peeking out from a space between storm clouds after a heavy rain, signalling hope and relief from darker times, whenever she saw her brother crack a smile, she knew that things would be all right.

 

But the smile in front of her was giving her a different feeling now. Uncertainty, fear, dread, worry…

 

Of course, there would be times that her big bro would give that type of smile to her, usually when it pertained to their father. The smile was there mostly to lift  _ his _ spirits as he tried to survive another day living with him, saving money from his part-time job and getting his grades up so that he can prepare for his first semester at that university in Den City he got accepted into. A place that was far far away from their father’s gambling debts and alcohol. There were days when Katsuya would only smile as tears trickled down his face and there were times when Jounochi smiled with just his eyes, letting Shizuka have a chance to peek into what her brother was  _ really _ feeling at the time.

 

In short, Shizuka knew in an instant just what her brother felt just by reading his face. 

 

But those glassy eyes, that empty smile...she has no idea what's happened to her loving older brother.

 

Jounochi retained that smile, a smile that looked like he has practiced it in front of a mirror for hours on end to make it look perfect as he answered, “I've been feeling great. Why do you ask?”

 

The way he talked also didn't help. It sounded clipped, monotonous, like something out of an emotionless robot from all of those sci-fi movies that she would watch on her laptop at night. It sounded nothing like the sweet bouncing tones that made her know that her brother was doing okay. It didn't even have that accent that she loved so much!

 

“You've been acting... different,” she elaborated. That was the only word that she can use to describe her big brother's change in behavior. “Did...did dad hurt you? Do you  _ really _ feel great?”

 

Jounochi shook his head, still keeping that empty smile on his face. “Dad hasn't touched me or a anything like that. In truth, I've been hanging out with some wonderful people and they’ve been helping me feel better.”

 

“Wonderful people”...that didn't really paint a good picture in Shizuka’s mind.

 

She knew that Jounochi, along with his close friend Hiroto Honda, used to hang out as part of a gang, doing whatever they felt like without feeling any repercussions for geir actions. Gangs, from what she read, gave a sense of a “family” even if said family was known to drink, smoke and beat whoever they want, wherever they want because they all came from the same place...a broken home and a broken family that had no time or energy to feed their emotional needs.

 

And, if not that, she has been hearing rumors of some sort of “cult” that has been on the rise on VRAINS that label themselves as the “Knights of Hanoi” unleashing acts of cyber terrorism among the masses. This is one of the reasons that their mother has absolutely forbid Shizuka from even trying VRAINS in the first place -- it wasn't worth the risk getting involved with them!

 

That part made Shizuka feel angry. She deserved to go and make friends online and interact with people other than the students at school, the people she met on the way home and  _ especially _ her overprotective mother who only let her go visit Jounochi for one week every six months. If she had access to VRAINS, she could stay least keep in contact with her brother on a regular basis without having her mother worry about her when Shizuka enters a train, all by herself, to Domino City. It's not like she was going to go directly to the Knights of Hanoi with a sign that said, “Let me join!” dangling over her heart like a diamond necklace.

 

But no, it was always “Mother knows best” with that woman, to the point that Shizuka can't watch  _ Tangled  _ without imagining herself as Rapunzel and her mother as the emotionally abusive Mother Goethel.

 

Gritting her teeth and shoving thoughts about that woman aside, Shizuka looked into her brother's amber eyes, seeing no spark of life within them as she asked, “Big bro...who are these 'wonderful people’?”

 

Jounochi just shook his head. “Their names don't matter, sis. All you need to know is that things are much better now.”

 

He left it at that and returned to his book, chuckling at whatever he was reading. A part of Shizuka felt angry. Another felt terrified. What type of shady business has her big bro gotten into?

 

Was it drugs? Blackmail? Trafficking? The more suggestions that popped into her mind, the more uneasy she felt. 

 

But Jounochi wasn't going to explain more now. She would just have to wait for an opportunity to strike before figuring out her brother had kept hidden for he  _ rarely _ kept secrets from his sister.

 

With a nod of her head, Shizuka just stated “If you say so.” before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

 

\---------

 

With their father gone to do his “job” as a security guard, the siblings decide to have dinner at their favorite ramen restaurant, “Black Boar Ramen” -- home for its signature  _ tonkotsu _ ramen with a black sesame paste mixed within the broth to make it look like one was swallowing ink instead of soup, topped with slices of crisp fatty pork, shredded seaweed and noodles colored black thanks to a good amount of squid ink.

 

Despite his new change in behavior and the fact that he is  _ certainly _ keeping something secret from her, Shizuka was glad that her brother's famous appetite was still there. The two ordered the signature “Black Hole Ramen” and a plate of  _ gyoza _ to share between them while watching a duel going on in VRAINS.

 

But it wasn't just any duel. It was a duel between Celebrity Duelist Blue Angel and a white cloaked figure from the Knights of Hanoi.

 

Blue Angel was well known for being one of the best female duelists in VRAINS. Her Trickstar monsters combined with her plucky and perky attitude made her an instant favorite for men who lusted over this Idol Singer styled duelist and young girls who idolized her for being a strong female figure in the world of Duel Monsters.

 

The two duelists were neck and neck in their duel, with Blue Angel having summoned her signature monster, Trickstar Holly Angel, and wittled the Knight of Hanoi's lifepoints to less than a thousand. Blue Angel had a cocky smirk on her face, confident in that she was going to prove a statement to the Knights of Hanoi that  _ nobody _ was going to make a fool out of her.

 

“Any last words, Knight of Fools?” Blue Angel taunted.

 

As the waitress served Shizuka and her brother their ramen, the Knight of Hanoi only shouted two words.

 

“Storm Access!”

 

And out of all of the exciting moves that had been played throughout the duel, it was this wxact moment that caught the eyes of everyone glued to the duel, Shizuka included. She knew just from those words alone who Blue Angel had been dueling.

 

Even though her mother prohibited her from entering, VRAINS, her mother set no concrete law that Shizuka wasn't allowed to watch duels that took place in VRAINS in her spare time. While she obviously cheered for the peppy Blue Angel and her Trickstar crew, she couldn't help but be in awe of the one that was simply known as “Playmaker”.

 

After all, who else would be so popular as to have fan-made avatars of him out in the open? To have people online try to catch heads or tails of his green suit and multi-colored hair or even get a chance to even interview this exclusive Celebrity Duelist? What was known about him? Practically nothing except that he had been on the scene for about a year or so.

 

But to be revealed as a Knight of Hanoi? That was the last thing practically anyone expected.

 

Yet here he was, wearing a white hooded cloak, a large data storm knocking the hood of the cloak down for everyone in the restaurant to see.

 

Blue Angel had a look of shock before it morphed into one of fury as Playmaker retrieved his Cyberse Extra Deck monster. 

 

“I don't what you're  _ playing _ at,” she said. “But I'm gonna regret making you challenge me in the first place, Playmaker!”

 

On screen, Playmaker just smirked, his peridot eyes looking slightly empty as he prepared to unleash his Link Summon.

 

Not wanting to feel like her heart had shattered upon seeing Playmaker gone rogue, Shizuka picked up her chopsticks and swirls the ramen around and around in a large black spiral. The noodles, pork and seaweed were drawn into the center of this soupy vortex as Shizuka tried to ask herself this question.

 

What would have caused Playmaker to, borrowing a term commonly used in pro wrestling, turn heel?

 

As Shizuka pondered to herself and slurped her noodles, she paid no attention to how her brother continued to watch the duel until the end, eyes fixated on Playmaker unleashing the final attack that would destroy Blue Angel once and for all.

 

And as Blue Angel fell off of her Duel Board with white feathers added for extra effect, Jounochi just smiled that hollow smile.

 

\---------

 

“You did well, Yusaku.”

 

Yusaku Fujiki sighed, nuzzling into the bare chest of his boyfriend, Ryoken Kougami. Gentle fingers stroked through strands of blue and pink hair as he sunk deep into the bed that they shared, their bare bodies pressed against one another. Just hours ago, he dueled against Blue Angel, surprising the opponent by unleashing a counterattack on her famous monster and watching with delight as her lifepoints fell down to zero, along with her descending like an angel cast out of the heavens.

 

He felt somewhat bad that this had to happen to her, but Ryoken explained that by breaking her, Yusaku would help free her from herself and the delusions she used to mask her true feelings. 

 

And of course, Ryoken was always right. Yusaku could never think anything wrong about the man who saved him from his nightmares and give him a new purpose in life.

 

“She fought well,” Ryoken continued, placing a kiss on Yusaku's hair. “I was worried that you would have lost to that Trickstar monster of hers.”

 

“She would be a worthy martyr for the Knights of Hanoi,” Yusaku replied. “For she was chosen by you to rally the troops to save everyone from the Ignis attack, and from themselves.”

 

“A Cyber Joan of Arc you might say,” Ryoken added, chuckling at the analogy. “But that will be after Specter gives her that consolation prize in a form of a new card that will reveal her ‘true self’ for the entire world to see.”

 

“Specter?” Yusaku repeated.

 

“A fellow Knight of Hanoi and victim of the Lost Incident,” Ryoken explained, holding Yusaku tight when the latter slightly flinched at the mention of “Lost Incident”. “He has been taking care of someone who was just like you -- broken, empty, afraid -- and gave them endless amounts of love, control, and a new purpose by joining the Knights of Hanoi.”

 

“Love is control. Control is love…” Yusaku murmured.

 

“Specter and his 'patient’ will arrive in a couple of days. Wouldn't it be nice if you two became friends? You both have plenty of things in common. I bet you would have such  _ interesting _ conversations on what it feels like to be completely submissive and being happy to no longer be traumatized.”

 

Yusaku smiled a little at that thought. “It would be nice if we experienced hypnosis together.”

 

“Perhaps Specter and I can collaborate on putting you and Takeru into a trance. Perhaps we can have an 'exchange’ of control too. If you are going to help in this project, it would be be beneficial for you to understand your fellow Knights better.”

 

“It would…”

 

Ryoken smiled. “But enough about that. I think someone needs a reward for doing such a good job today. Now, close your eyes.”

 

Yusaku eagerly nodded his head, taking a deep breath to help relax his excited body. He closed his eyes shut, arms wrapped around Ryoken as he focused on nothing except the feeling of their chests rising and falling in sync, their hearts beating in their chests, and the sound of their soft breathing within the bedroom.

 

“Let all of the tension in your body go,” Ryoken purred. “Relax into my embrace and let my words enter your sleepy mind, filling you with my love for you, my control over you. Fall deep into a trance, Yusaku. Let my will fill you with a purpose to serve me.”

 

And Yusaku did just that, smiling as he succumbed to Ryoken's loving control.

 

\---------

 

Three days later, Shizuka's opportunity arrived.

 

It happened sometime after breakfast. If there was one good thing about having her mom watching over her, it was that Shizuka quickly learned how to prepare meals of all sorts. That, combined with her brother's appetite and the usually never stocked as it needed to be fridge in the apartment mention she had to learn how to think outside the box when it came to cooking anything aside from putting rice in a rice cooker.

 

After she and her brother finished breakfast, and setting aside some scrambled eggs, fried rice and a side of  _ umeboshi _ for their father when he woke up, Shizuka began washing dishes, her mind still reeling from everything that had happened from her brother's change in personality to that of Playmaker's allegiance to the Knights of Hanoi. Playmaker had not appeared in VRAINS since that duel, neither had Blue Angel. But that didn’t stop people from posting absurd theories as to what was going on.

 

And outside VRAINS, Jounochi was...well, Shizuka couldn't put it in one single word. When the two hung out with Yugi, Anzu, Ryou, Honda and Otogi, he was his usual self more or less: trying to prevent Honda and Otogi from getting too close to her, having the same zeal for dueling and gathering new cards for his deck at the Kame Game Shop (he had been eyeing a Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon for some time), trying to beat the high scores of various arcade games, his large appetite (once again)...to those five, it looked like nothing was wrong.

 

And that was what worried the most.

 

Was she the only one who saw these changes? After all, the group had just graduated high school and were all going their separate ways very soon: Anzu was heading off to pursue her dream in learning dance at New York, Otogi had his shop to tend to, Honda was going to take classes at the local community college, Ryou was going to study abroad in London and Yugi was going to that computer academy in Den City so he could pursue his dream of creating all sorts of games (and was currently learning coding online to prepare for a task). Perhaps Jounochi was trying to find someone to replace the 'hole’ in his heart that would appear when everyone left.

 

But if that was the case, why keep it a secret? Who were these 'wonderful people’ that he spoke of? And what the hell did they do to her brother?

 

As Shizuka placed the last of the washed dishes onto the dishrack, she heard a loud ringtone blaring from her brother's bedroom. “Undisclosed Desires” by Muse.

 

There was the sound of her brother scrambling to pick it up, then utter silence. Shizuka quietly approached the door to her brother's room, ear against the wall, and listened.

 

“Yeah. Of course...I'll be there...give me half an hour. See ya soon.”

 

And after he hung up, Shizuka pressed her back against the wall and waited until Jounochi left the room -- thankful that he swing the door hard enough that it concealed her -- before he left the apartment for his destination. Shizuka did not hesitate to follow him, only leaving a note on the table telling “Dad” that she was going out before slipping on some tennis shoes and shadowing her brother.

 

Her brother was walking at a brisk pace, feet walking towards his destination through empty streets, alleys and empty tracks of land. Shizuka kept an eye on Jounochi's golden hair, like a beacon in the dark, as she followed him in a place that was not too slow nor fast.

 

Throughout the walk, Jounochi never turned around to see that he was being shadowed. It reminded Shizuka of a film she watched _ , A Walk Among the Tombstones _ , where Liam Neeson's character gets “shadowed” by the artist boy TJ who would quickly become Detective Matthew Scudder’s partner, whether the private eye wanted the assistance or not.

 

But whether her brother was even aware of the fact that he was being followed by his own sister...that part Shizuka was uncertain.

 

Half an hour later, Jounochi reached his destination. A magnificent house overlooking the ocean. Shizuka felt a cool wind blow across her face as the followed him up these steps towards the door, hoping to finally get some answers to the questions ratttlinf in her head.

 

But it was at that moment that Jounochi knocked on the door did Shizuka realize something. She did not think of hiding a safe distance away from the manor, and now she was caught.

 

She tried to make a run for it, but was stopped when the door opened. There were two people on the other side, men both the same age as her brother: one with snow white hair and eyes like blue topaz, and one with hair a mix of blue and pink and eyes like peridots. The one with white hair took notice of Shizuka.

 

“Katsuya, you brought company. Care to introduce us?” He said, voice deep and rich.   
  


Jounochi turned around and Shizuka was frozen with a “deer in the headlights” look in her eyes.    
  


“You came with me…!” He was surprised, but not angry that his little sister trailed him towards this place. He turned to the two men at the door as he placed a hand over his sister's shoulder. “Ryoken-sama, Yusaku-sama...this is my little sister, Shizuka.”   
  


“Nice to meet you, little Shizuka,” The one with blue and pink hair, Yusaku, said with a warm smile on his face.

 

But the feeling was not mutual. Not at all.   
  


“W… what have you two done to big bro? He's changed!” Shizuka screamed, close to hysterical. 

  
Ryoken, the one with snow white hair, smiled at Shizuka. His smile gave her the creeps; it was filled with some sort of malicious intent in mind. “You’re right. Katsuya has changed for the better. Why don't you come in and we'll show you exactly what we've done to help him?” He offered.   
  


“N... no...!!!” Shizuka answered, rapidly shaking her head. This was wrong, so very wrong!   
  
“That's okay,” said Yusaku, lifting his head to look past her. “You'll probably end up coming in anyway.”

 

Feeling that sixth sense, Shizuka gasped and swiftly craned her head back to see what Yusaku was looking at. Standing behind her was Seto Kaiba with his younger brother, Mokuba, by his side.

 

But something was utterly  _ wrong _ about the situation.

 

Seto Kaiba never looked  _ that _ calm, not even around his brother. Yet here he was so quiet, so gentle, so...sweet.   
  


“Hello Shizuka,” said Seto, dark blue eyes gazing at her. “Good to see you again.” 

 

Despite having that smile on his face, it didn’t sound like he was genuinely glad to see the young girl.   
  


“You seem… different too…” Shizuka commented. It was the only thing she could say about the situation.   
  


“Hey Shizuka!” Mokuba said with a bright smile on his face. And unlike the smile on his brother's face, and that on Jounochi's, it seemed to be genuine. 

 

“Seemed” to be…   
  


“Mokuba, w...what's going on here?!” Shizuka asked, panicking. She was surrounded on both sides, and no one knew that she was out here in the first place.   
  


“Nothing bad,” Mokuba answered before giggling and hiding his laughs behind his hands. “You should join Ryoken nii-chan, Yusaku nii-chan, Seto nii-sama, Katsuya and I!” He cheered.   
  
Shizuka could find nothing to say as she was dragged up the stairs by her brother, all while everyone else looked excited about what was to come.

 

“Don't worry about me,” said Jounochi, smiling down at his sister. “You'll soon understand  _ everything _ .”

 

Shizuka wanted to scream.    
  
\--------   
  


Shizuka was lead to the living room, given a cup of hot cocoa by Yusaku while she listened to Ryoken to Jounochi to Mokuba explain what had been going on.

 

At the end of it all, it was a miracle how the mug in her hands didn't shatter onto the floor.

 

It did make a lot of sense, now that she thought about it. The dreamy look in her brother's eyes, the empty smile on his face, how he proclaimed Ryoken and Yusaku as those “wonderful people” who were helping him out…

 

But that didn't mean that she felt good about the situation.

 

Kaiba's case was much more alarming. There were no signs of the tough CEO that her brother ranted about. No snarky condescending attitude, no signs that he didn't want to be in this strange place with her, no acts of resistance or hardened glares at everyone in the room and absolutely  _ no _ canine related insults targeted at her brother.

 

Instead he appeared calm, relaxed, as if in a dream. Even when Mokuba returned from the kitchen with two sea salt ice cream bars did the CEO look bothered. The minute Kaiba took a bite out of the Ice cream, he just...melted. Melted into a pile of tranquility all while Ryoken and Yusaku examined him like he was an animal in it's cage at the zoo. With curiosity, awe and pride.

 

But the most alarming thing that made her speechless was when Ryoken introduced himself and Yusaku.

 

Or rather, it was when he introduced himself and Yusaku as Revolver and Playmaker in VRAINS.

 

At that point, one couldn't blame Shizuka for wanting to run away as fast as possible. Yusaku Fujiki was Playmaker, now a Knight of Hanoi, and Ryoken was the  _ leader _ of said faction. And worst yet, when she asked why Yusaku would even join them, he answered,

 

“Because Ryoken asked me to. My purpose is to serve him and the Knights of Hanoi, and to save people from the Ignis and from themselves.”

 

At that point, Shizuka Kawaii felt her brain shut down.

 

She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She sat there on the couch, eyes wide, mouth open but no words coming out. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her mind screaming for her to run, run, get out of here, find help, call someone, do something,  _ anything _ !

 

But no. She just sat there, the room slowly fading all while everyone stared at her. From Mokuba to Seto to Ryoken to Yusaku to Katsuya...they watched as she fell into a trance.

 

Ryoken smiled. It was all too easy to get this panicky girl to fall. What started as some simple breathing exercises to calm herself down before she started screaming in hysterics led to Ryoken making her picture what it felt like when he hypnotised her brother, to her staring into Ryoken Kougami's eyes just as Katsuya did, and to listen to his soft and angelic voice calm her frantic mind, the words he spoke making her feel so tranquil…

 

“Free your mind of all of your doubts, worries and fears,” he purred into her ear, all while running a hairbrush through her hair. When did he get a hairbrush? And why did it feel nice to have someone care for her like this? “Let yourself fall into a trance for me. You are safe here, with Yusaku and me. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong if you thought of the two of us like your big brothers!”

 

And Mokuba watched with awe while his brother and Katsuya gently embraced one another, having been put in a deep hypnotic state by Yusaku while Ryoken worked on calming Shizuka down. Ryoken kept talking to Shizuka, the girl nodding her head whenever Ryoken gave her a new suggestion for her mind to absorb.

 

_ You like being in this state of hypnosis. You will not resist falling into a trance. You see your brother at his happiest, knowing that he is in the good hands of Yusaku and I. You see only the best in the two of us. You can be  _ yourself _ when you are with us. You can tells us anything that is on your mind without worry. You will not hesitate to answer our questions or follow our orders. You will accept us as part of your family... _

 

And when she was asked about her opinion of the Knights of Hanoi, she gave it to them. When she was asked about her relationship with her mother, she stated that she hated her and how she forbade her from seeing her brother, from entering VRAINS, from even hanging out at night without having her call every fifteen minutes to ask what she was doing. It sickened her.

 

But Ryoken was calm throughout it all, nodding his head in understanding as he spoke to her.

 

_ Your mother has it entirely wrong. The Knights of Hanoi are not evil. We wish to save people and make them happy. Your mother is a horrible person for not letting you grow up without having a bit of freedom to yourself. A girl such as you deserves to go out and have fun, make new friends, just live a little. What good is it if she can't even let you out of the house once in a while? _

 

_ But don't worry. Yusaku and I can give you that and more; make you free from your mother's iron fist and give you  _ exactly _ what you want. _

 

_ True happiness. _

 

And after that, Shizuka can't remember. All she knew was that everything was going to be okay. Her brother was fine. Seto and Mokuba were fine. And soon, she would be fine because she understood just what was going on.

 

Ryoken and Yusaku wanted to help. They were such nice people.

  
“My dear Shizuka, things aren’t so bad.” Ryoken cooed, running the hairbrush through Shizuka’s hair as if the girl was a doll. With her glassy auburn eyes and empty smile, one could have easily mistaken her for a life-size doll. “We're here to look after you and your big brother.”   
  


Shizuka said nothing. Instead, she just continued to stare mindlessly ahead of her and nodded her head. Ryoken's minds easily entered her empty mind, filling her with waves of relaxation that she wanted, needed, craved for.   
  


“Why don't you join us Knights of Hanoi?” Yusaku suggested, a bright yet empty smile on his face. “Then you'll be able to experience happiness like this any time you want!”     
  


“Indeed, Yusaku is correct,” Ryoken chuckled, smiling at how Seto and Katsuya were logged into VRAINS, their digital avatars standing erect, awaiting their orders. Mokuba had a big smile on his face, doing his best to conceal his laughter. “We'll ensure that you have a nice, happy and healthy childhood. What do you say? Will you join us?”

 

With everything that Shizuka felt, how could she say no?

 

Ryoken treated her nicely, spoke soft words in her ear filled with promises of freedom from herself, from her worries, from her overprotective mother. He and Yusaku helped her brother smile through the pain. And it was that thanks to them that Mokuba could spend more time with his big brother, along with Seto now in a relationship with Katsuya (something she had suspended for quite some time but never said anything about it due to her brother's stubbornness). 

 

If they could help those two out, they could definitely her out.

  
With a tiny smile on her lips, Shizuka slightly nodded her head. “Yes… Ryoken nii-chan… Yusaku nii-chan…”

  
  



End file.
